COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Shippensburg looks to even record at Millersville

After winning its first game last week, the Shippensburg University football team will try to keep the momentum going Saturday when it returns to the road.

In their third away game of the young season, the Red Raiders play a noon contest at Millersville. It will be the second PSAC Eastern Division matchup for SU (1-2, 1-0 PSAC East).

When asked to comment on the Raiders’ 41-31 win last Saturday over previously unbeaten East Stroudsburg, SU coach Mark Maciejewski said with a chuckle, “It’s sure better than the alternative.”

Shippensburg held off the Warriors despite giving up 560 yards of offense, including 301 on the ground. Ship’s attack, meanwhile, had 421 yards of total offense. Wide receiver Trevor Harman, the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week, caught six passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns.

Coach Mac said, “We got some offensive production, but the true winners were the special teams. We put some kickoffs into the end zone and we had a kickoff return for a touchdown.

“On defense, we did some good things, but we missed some tackles and let their quarterback run around. We still need to clean some things up.”

SU’s Shannon Maura received Special Teams Player of the Week honors from D2Football.com and USA College Football Division II.

The redshirt junior transfer (Nassau C.C.), playing in his first game for the Raiders, returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was Ship’s first kickoff return for a TD since 2009.

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Maura also broke off an 83-yard return and totaled 240 yards on five runbacks. He shattered the SU single-game record of 158 yards set by Mike Erlandson vs. Bloomsburg in 1997.

The Red Raiders’ opponent has been struggling so far this season. Millersville is 0-3 and has been outscored 144-26.

The Marauders, who lost 48-3 to West Chester last week, are led by quarterback Connor Casey (457 yards passing), who has completed at least two passes to 12 different receivers.

Brent Collins has 20 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown, while Ian Sadon is the Marauders’ top rusher with 186 yards and a TD.

On defense, Millersville’s top three tacklers are Rasheed Johnson (23), Reggie Slaton (21) and Dean May (19).

Maciejewski said, “We’re playing a team that’s hungry for a win, and we’re playing at their place. They do a good job mixing the run and the pass. Defensively, they’ll line it up and smack you in the mouth. We need to worry about us and make sure we do things right.”

NOTES: The last time the Raiders played at Millersville was in 2011, during a late-October snowstorm … Ship won that game 40-0 … QB Zach Zulli threw four TD passes vs. East Stroudsburg, giving him 95 for his career — one of only five PSAC players with 95 or more TDs passing … Greg Breitbach is in his first season as the Marauders’ head coach … Waynesboro graduate Marvin Gaskill is a redshirt junior backup right guard for Millersville.